Stay
by shadowlynxbehr
Summary: Bella and Jacob are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Jacob reflects back to the night when Bella convinced him to STAY. This takes place after Eclipse. AU. Jacob's POV. Written from a prompt provided by JB and a banner by EnjoyYourJacob.


**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners...blah, blah, blah, you know the drill.**

**Universe: This one-shot takes place after Eclipse.**

**Notes: I was very flattered that one of my all-time favorite wolf-girls, whether it was as a writer, administrator, Jacob lover or just a friend in general won me in a silent auction. I knew I'd have a lot to live up to and I still don't think I've measured up to anything she's done in the past. Still, here's JB's prompt to me:**

_Bella and Jake are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary! The plan is to renew their wedding vows. They have at least 2-3 children and still live in LaPush._

_Jacob reflects back to the night in Bella's room at her dad's house, which had changed their lives forever._

_Bella had finally broke it off with Edward several weeks before, after she realized that she did indeed lose her best friend Jacob, due to her initial stupid plans to marry Edward. She realized that she did indeed love and need Jacob more than life itself. He had been refusing to see her, he has pride too, but gave in that night, however, he still does not trust her words 100% so she shows him. Bella had a plan to seduce him..._

**JB also wanted this to be told in Jacob's POV and since this is always a challenge to me, I accepted it. As further incentive, JB had her fellow wolf-girl (another wolf-girl I fangirl over) EnjoyYourJacob, make me a banner to go with the one-shot. The title and main theme comes from Rhianna's song, Stay, which JB said reminded her of Jacob.**

**The banner is at (http:)/(img). /albums/v629/Shadowlynx/Team%20Jacob%20Banners/Sta y_zpsd4c648a7.(jpeg)**

**(Jacob POV)**

Stay.

One word was all it took. Over the years, that one word had echoed in my mind over and over again. It had made so many different emotions rise up inside of me when she had said it in that soft whisper of hers.

Stay, Jacob…please? Stay.

I sighed contentedly as my eyes roamed over the little hutch that my kids had set up on a couple of crates covered in a sheet, in the corner of our living room. Back when they were six, my eldest twin daughters had put the crates there, then filled it with things that were special to them. Later, my son and youngest daughter added their own things to the mix too, creating a sort of treasure trove of memories of our family life.

Today was our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and all I could think of was the day my wife had changed our future for the better with that one little word. Even though I had let go of my wolf years ago, I still retained some of the enhanced senses it had given me, plus my body was still in better shape than most forty-three year olds. Bella had been lucky too, at least in my mind she was still as beautiful as the day we had gotten married. She may have a few grey hairs like I did, but I still wanted her as much as I had wanted her that day in Charlie's house when she had asked me to stay.

I remembered everything like it was yesterday, even now that emotional time was still fresh in my mind. Bella was supposed to be marrying her leech in a few days but I had already cut off contact before that day. Once I had received the wedding invitation, there had been no going back for me, so I had lost myself in my wolf side, deep inside the Olympic National Forest.

I had remained in wolf form for weeks, ignoring the voices of my wolf pack in my head and the occasional mournful wolf howls that I could hear in the forest. Living off of the land while sleeping beneath the trees, I had let go of the human side of myself so that I couldn't feel the way my heart bled from losing the girl I loved.

It was Seth who had finally found me, having been asked by Bella to bring me back if he could. At first I had resisted, my wolf's hackles rising as I growled at him, baring my teeth in warning. Even back then, he hadn't been easily scared of me, sending me messages from Bella through our mind link.

She had been trying to get a hold of me for a while, it seemed. Calling my house and even venturing down to La Push to try to find me. She needed to talk to me, she had said. Seth had told me it was important that I talk to her, but he wouldn't say why. How he had managed to keep secrets from me through our minds was beyond me at the time because I had never thought he was as strong as I was.

It had taken another two days for Seth to get me to at least call her, even providing the cell phone to do so. I phased long enough to grab the phone from him, dialing Bella's number, then waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?" The sadness in her voice over the phone nearly had me walking back to Forks in my birthday suit.

Instead, I had shoved down the need to comfort her as I growled into the phone. "What do you want, Bella?"

"Jake," she gasped, "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I snapped. "Seth said you wanted to talk to me, so talk."

She sighed. "Not over the phone, Jacob. Can you come to Charlie's? Tonight?"

I huffed. "Whatever you need to say, just say it. You know I can't see you anymore."

"Please, Jake, this is important."

"Whatever, Bella."

"Just give me a chance tonight, Jacob. I can explain everything."

"There's nothing else to say Bella!" I had growled, trying not to crush the cell phone. "You made your choice and…"

"Please!" she begged. "I need…Jake…please come see me tonight. I need to…talk to you."

There had been something in her voice, something I couldn't ignore no matter how much the human side of me had wanted to. She had hurt me, yet I could feel myself being drawn to her side once more. My mind had told me to tell her no, but that's not what came out of my mouth.

"Fine," I groused. "I'll be there."

I had hung up before she could say another word, then tossed the phone back to Seth with a glare. "Happy now?"

He'd grinned at me. "Want me to call Leah to pick us up?"

I shook my head as I began walking away from him. "You can go. I'm running back."

I hadn't stuck around to see if he was following. Phasing on the run, I made it back to my father's house within a few hours. He hadn't been home that day, so I went to shower and clean up before I had to meet Bella at her house. My hair had grown a few inches in the weeks I had been gone and I needed a shave badly, so I knew that would keep me busy until it was time to go.

It had felt strange being back in clothing after living as a wolf for so long. Despite putting on a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, my skin had still protested the feel of the worn cotton against it. I fought the urge to constantly scratch or yank the clothes off of me so I could return to wolf form.

I went to the kitchen where I made me a couple of sandwiches to tide me over until the talk with Bella was done. Swallowing them whole, I'd washed them down with a warm soda then made my way out to the garage. Luckily my bike had seemed to be running well despite not being used for a few weeks.

Later that night, it hadn't taken me long to get to Bella's house, despite not having been there in a while, I still knew the way well enough that I could have done it with my eyes closed even while driving the bike. Apparently she had been waiting for me since I didn't even have to knock but once before the door had flown open and she threw herself at me.

"Oh Jacob! I was so worried about you! I'm so glad you're okay! I've missed you so much!"

I remember standing there in shock, blinking my confusion away as she hugged me as tight as she could. When I realized she wasn't letting me go any time soon, I had slowly wrapped my own arms around her although it wasn't like the hugs I used to give her.

"I'm fine," I said, adding hesitantly, "I…I missed you too."

Finally she had stepped back, but only so far so that she could look up at me. "Come inside, I made lasagna. We can catch up while we eat."

I had allowed her to tug my hand, knowing even then that she had wanted me to follow her while ignoring the grumble of my stomach that seemed excited at the prospect of more food despite the two sandwiches I had eaten earlier. Bella looked back at me with a hesitant smile, clearly she had heard my stomach too, but she didn't say anything about it.

In the kitchen, she had me sit down before bustling around the room fixing me a plate of food and something to drink. Then she sat across from me, silently eating her own meal for a while until I was almost finished with my second helping.

Picking at what was left on her plate, she had finally spoken up. "So, where have you been?"

I let my fork drop to my plate as I sat back. "No where."

She had glanced up at me before looking down at her plate again. "Are…are you okay?"

"Fine," I'd answered, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Seth said you took off and you weren't talking to anybody. Even Charlie was worried and…"

"I said I was fine!" I interrupted. "What's it matter anyway? You should be busy planning your wedding!"

Her head had finally snapped up so that her eyes met mine. I was glaring at her, but even I could see the sudden fire in her eyes.

"I care about you because you're my best friend!" she snapped.

I had arched an eyebrow at her. "So?"

Her jaw had actually clenched as she threw her fork down on her plate. "Ugh! I swear, Jacob! Why are you being such an ass? I'm trying to talk to you, damn it! To tell you what has happened since you've been gone and all you can do is growl and snap at me!"

I could still remember the way I had stood up, towering over her and ignoring the fact that that was the first time I had ever heard her swear. I had even growled. "I'm not interested in hearing about your wonderful new life with those leeches!"

She had stood up too, clearly not intimidated by my height or anger. "Oh really? So, you're not interested in hearing that I'm not gonna marry one of your enemies after all, are you?"

I had blinked, thinking to myself, did she say what I thought she said? "Wait. What?"

She gritted her teeth. "You heard me!"

I swallowed. "You're…you're not marrying the le…um, Cullen?"

She arched an eyebrow at me when I had gaped at her. "Seriously?"

All of the fight had suddenly went out of her as she plopped back down into her chair and sighed. "I called off the wedding."

Those were words I'd wanted to hear for so long before that day, so I couldn't understand how she could blame me for the disbelief that I knew was on my face. Slowly I had sat back down in my chair, staring at her while trying to find the right words to say.

"What…happened?" I asked.

She had shrugged as she looked everywhere but me. "I thought about it, it just seemed like the right thing to do." Instead of waiting for me to answer, she'd gotten up to clear the table. I sat there feeling like I'd just been sucker-punched, my mind a jumble of thoughts.

It wasn't until I felt her hesitant touch on my shoulder that I had looked up into her eyes. For the first time ever, and the only time since then, I hadn't been able to decipher the emotions that were floating in her brown eyes. She had given me a shy smile before stepping back, motioning towards the living room. "Come on, let's go sit on the couch and I'll tell you what happened."

I had nodded, then followed her out of the kitchen, letting my body sink into the couch like I had no bones. Really, I was still trying to recover from being blindsided. As much as I had begged Bella not to marry the leech, it was still such a shock to find out that she wasn't going to. Suddenly, I wanted to know what the hell I had missed over those last few weeks.

Bella had waited until I was looking at her before she began her story. "That night, when I went to see you after the fight with the newborns, the talk we had…it stayed with me. When I left, I couldn't stop thinking about you and what was said. I had some time alone after that and I began to realize that I wasn't telling myself the whole truth."

She'd sighed as she shook her head. "Later, when Edward came over and we talked, I was so upset over what I was feeling and he tried to comfort me, but he couldn't. Then later, he took me to see Alice so we could talk about the wedding plans and it just hit me. As Alice went on and on about colors and fabric, I lost interest. I couldn't stop thinking about you, about what I was giving up."

Bella had reached out towards my hand, pausing a moment as if she was unsure before taking it in hers. Giving it a gentle squeeze, she continued in a softer voice. "You're my best friend, Jacob, and I realized that I didn't want to lose you, not like that."

I remember looking down at our linked hands for a moment before asking, "So you called off the wedding? For how long?"

She had huffed as she suddenly jerked her hand from mine. "We're not getting married Jacob. Ever." When I had given her a skeptical look, she proclaimed, "I broke up with him for good."

I'd laughed, knowing it sounded strained. "Why don't I believe that?"

Narrowed eyes had glared at me. "It's the truth. The Cullens are getting ready to leave for Alaska soon."

I'd snapped my gaze to hers, hackles rising. "What? Does Sam know?"

She'd nodded. "Yes, he and Carlisle have been making plans on how to deal with the Volturi. How to convince them to leave me alone since I'm not becoming a vampire like they thought I was."

I had growled. "We can handle any vampires that come here."

She had smirked. "I know that, but Carlisle and I feel that the pack has to know everything that the Volturi are capable of. Forewarned is forearmed, right?"

At that time, I had shrugged even though I agreed with her. "Yeah, I guess."

"Anyway," she had continued, "Once Carlisle has told the pack everything, they're leaving."

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them. Even Edward and Alice."

"Just like that?" I asked.

Even then, I had known she could hear the skepticism still in my voice. She'd sighed in exasperation. "Jake, it's over between Edward and me. I made that clear to him, so he knows and he's agreed to leave. He said he made that vow to you in the tent and he means to keep it. He said you would know what he was talking about."

Yeah, I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I hadn't believed him even then. Figured the leech wouldn't want to give up his tasty treat even under the guise of love. It's why I had fought so hard, even tried to be sneaky, but those last words Bella had told me while I was laid up in bed from the injuries that the newborn gave me, made me think there was no way I was going to win.

Now there she was, telling me I had won after all. Yeah, like I was going to believe it had been that easy. "You believed him?"

She had thrown up her hands in exasperation. "It doesn't matter if he spoke the truth or not. He's leaving, Jacob! Carlisle has promised me that! So has Alice! They're leaving and I get my life back. Edward knows I refuse to be with him now. I made sure he understood that."

At that point, I'd gotten up and began pacing. "What makes you think anything you said to a leech would keep him away from you? He didn't stay away last time."

"He'll stay away this time."

"Right."

"Jacob, I told him that I'm not in love with him."

I had stopped pacing and turned to see that she was on her feet too. She was looking right at me as she continued. "I told him that he wasn't worth giving up my entire life for. That there were things I needed more than I needed him."

I hadn't been able to breathe as she said those words. Back then, I couldn't believe that she had finally realized everything I had been trying to get her to see ever since I knew she had hooked up with the leech. Why now?

I hadn't realized I had said that last part out loud until she had answered me. "It didn't happen overnight, Jake. I told you. After our talk that night you were hurt, I started thinking about it more. Later, when he tried to comfort me, I realized it wasn't his comfort I needed and it started to sink in. But it was really when I was listening to Alice drone on about the stupid wedding that I knew the truth. So, I spent the next couple of days alone before I finally told Edward that I didn't love him and I didn't want to marry him."

"He seemed to know it was coming. I think he knew he couldn't give me what I wanted. We both knew you had finally rubbed off on me," she had said the last part with a smirk.

Slowly I'd nodded. "Okay, so you don't love him and you've broken up with him. Good for you. Guess you'll be staying human too, huh?"

"Yes, of course! It's what I want. I don't want to lose you, Jacob. You mean everything to me. More than Edward ever did."

I ran a hand through my hair. Bella wasn't going to become a leech. That was good news, so why was I still twitchy?

Her soft voice had intruded into my thoughts. "Jacob?"

I'd lifted my gaze to hers. "Yeah?"

She'd given me a hesitant smile. "Did you hear what I said? You mean everything to me. More than Edward, more than…" she paused, then sighed. "Jacob, I…I love you. I chose you, instead of him."

My eyes had gone wide with that revelation. "Wh…what?"

She nodded. "After I broke up with him, I had time to think about you. While everyone was looking for you and I sat here worrying about where you were, I realized that I loved you. That I wanted you here with me. It's why I begged Seth to look for you, to bring you back to me. I wanted to tell you how I feel. That I love you so much."

As if it was only yesterday, I could still feel the way my heart had pounded in my ears that night. The girl I loved was finally telling me that she loved me, yet I couldn't bring myself to listen. I couldn't let myself just give in and believe the words she was telling me.

"Jake?" she had whispered.

I shook my head. "I…I can't do this again, Bella. I can't."

I had turned to leave, but her hand on my arm stopped me. "Stay, Jacob…please? Stay."

I had closed my eyes as she moved to stand in front of me. "Why?" I whispered.

"For me. Stay because I love you. Because I need you. And because…because you love me too."

I hadn't been able to look at her as I answered her. "I gave in to you before and you…"

She nodded when I couldn't finish. "I know. I know I hurt you and I'm so sorry. Please, Jake, you have to believe me now. Trust that my words are true this time. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay. With you."

I'd taken a step back and tried to breathe again. "God, Bells, you have no idea how much I want to believe you."

She'd looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at me. "I know. I get it. Fine, you want proof? Here's your proof."

Next thing I knew she had thrown herself at me, wrapping her legs and arms around my body as her lips covered mine. Instinct had me wrapping my arms around her to keep her from falling. Then when it registered that she was kissing me, I couldn't help but respond to it.

That kiss wasn't like the kiss on the mountain. It had been much more desperate and heated. Much more intense.

I had gripped her body closer to mine and when she touched my bottom lip with her tongue, I had whimpered. Yep, like a needy puppy, I had whimpered.

That hadn't stopped her though as she pushed her tongue past my lips into my mouth then began teasing my tongue with hers. I had nearly dropped her at that point. Geez, someone should have warned me that those kind of kisses could be lethal. Especially when it was with the girl you love.

I'd stumbled back onto the couch with her in my lap. Sliding my hands to her hips, I'd pulled her closer to me and gave as good as I got. Her hands had slid down my chest, dipping under my shirt before once again sliding up my skin. When she had tugged at my shirt to remove it, I lifted my lips from hers.

We were both breathing hard at that point and she still had been tugging at my shirt. "Bells," I said, in between breaths. "What are you doing?"

A blush had stolen across her cheeks as she looked down at her hands where they rested against my chest, still clutching the ends of my shirt. "I'm trying to seduce you."

She'd looked back into my eyes then, and I could see the sparkle in them that went with the cheeky grin she had worn back then. "Is it working?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Uh, yeah, I think it is."

We had been silent for a few moments, just looking at each other, trying to get our breathing under control. Finally, I had lifted a hand to brush back a lock of hair from her face.

"You don't have to do this, Bells. I think I believe you now."

She had sighed as she let go of my shirt to trace a trembling finger along my jaw. "What if I want to? Would you…would you let me make love to you?"

I swallowed. "You want to…now?"

She'd nodded, the blush coming back in full force. "Yes, Charlie won't be back tonight and…I want you Jake. So much."

I had closed my eyes. The chivalrous side of me, the boy, had wanted to say that it was still too soon. The wolf side of me, the man, had wanted to throw manners to the wind and take what he wanted.

I guess Bella had sensed my hesitation because she leaned in to begin nibbling on my jaw. I inhaled sharply at the feel of her lips against my skin. The words had caught in my throat, enabling her to continue teasing me with lips and tongue all the way down my neck.

Then, she had bitten the junction where my neck met my shoulder before speaking in a husky voice. At that point, I had known I was done. "I want this, Jacob. I want to make love to you. Please say you want this too."

I'd groaned as my wolf side won the war inside of me. "Upstairs, now."

I hadn't waited for her to answer. Instead, I rose to my feet, keeping her wrapped around me as I took the stairs four at a time. When I held her with one arm while using the other to tug off the shirt that still made my skin itch, I had realized that sometimes it was good to be a supernatural wolf who'd learned all sorts of neat, sexual tricks from the pack mind. Tricks that my wolf was more than eager to put to good use at that moment.

In her room, I had tossed the offensive shirt carelessly to the floor and nudged the door closed with my foot before pressing her against it to resume kissing her. That night I took possession of her mouth, my warmer tongue quickly heating the inside of her cooler mouth. Her legs had wrapped tightly around my hips just as her arms wrapped around my bare shoulders. I had devoured her as I felt my human side fading away even more, all because she had bitten me in a place that had triggered my wolf side.

I had kissed her until she began trying to tear her mouth from mine so that she could breathe. A breathless "Jake" fell from her lips, but I had ignored it as I let my lips and teeth taste her skin from her cheek down to her shoulder. Moving my mouth back to the junction of her shoulder and neck, I'd bitten down harder than she had, making sure I'd leave a mark that would last for weeks.

She'd gasped and tossed her head back, one hand flying up to bury fingers in my hair. Instead of tugging me away to stop the pain, she had seemed to enjoy the brief sting, digging her nails deep into both my scalp and my back in an effort to keep my mouth attached to her skin. Her reaction had only spurred my wolf on, making me eager to get closer to her.

Suddenly there had seemed to be too many obstacles in the way of what I had wanted. My mouth wanted to taste more of her skin, so I had grabbed hold of her shirt in one hand and yanked it up over her head. Again she had gasped, but when my eyes met hers, I didn't see any hesitation or fear in them. She'd bitten her bottom lip and leaned back against the door, letting me see the lovely, pale skin that was still covered partly by her bra.

I had growled at the material like it was preventing me from enjoying my treat, prompting a soft chuckle from her lips along with the spread of a rosy tint over her cheeks.

"Off," I'd barked, then rumbled with satisfaction when she quickly undid the bra and tossed it over my shoulder.

I hadn't even waited for it to leave her fingers before I lifted her higher so that I could latch my mouth to one of her pink-tipped breasts. I suckled like a man who hadn't had a drink in weeks, desperately trying to find relief in that small, soft swell.

I had been vaguely aware of the faint mewling sounds coming from Bella as I indulged in first one and then the other creamy peak. Even the brief burn of her nails down my back hadn't distract me from my treat. My mouth had continued to suck and torture her, making her rub her jean-clad center against my stomach.

The smell of her arousal and the slight dampness against my skin told my wolf just how much my attentions were turning her on. A rumble of pride had vibrated through my chest, knowing that I was the one drawing out such a sensual response from her. My wolf had salivated at the thought of devouring her, the small treat I'd already had of her chest only made it worse.

I'd drawn on the lessons I'd learned from the pack's mind, my hands making quick work of her jeans, ripping both those and her panties off of her body with one tug. I'd heard her gasp, but ignored it as I used my speed and strength to push her against the door while I went to my knees. Taking a deep breath, I'd inhaled her scent a split second before I plunged my tongue between her already moist folds.

Her gasp had turned into a long moan and I'd felt her legs trembling against my hands as I held her up while my mouth continued to feast on her. Had Bella ever wanted to stop, she would never have been able to make me do so since my wolf had been in total control at that point. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had been vaguely aware that her fingers were tugging at my hair, but it was only so she could push my face closer to where she had wanted me to be.

I had lapped and sucked, eventually adding my fingers to the mix in an effort to produce the results my wolf had been hungry for. A swipe of my tongue here, a nibble of my teeth there and a few thrusts of my fingers finally had Bella's thighs gripping my shoulders as her nails dug into my scalp while my name was torn from her lips.

It would be a while before my wolf had taken his fill, leaving Bella a shuddering mess in my arms. I had licked my lips, still tasting her as my eyes drank in the sight of her relaxed body against mine. Slowly, my wolf seemed to recede a little, leaving me aware of the fact that she was completely naked while I was still clothed from the waist down.

I remembered how I had suddenly felt guilty for what I had done. It had made me rise to my feet to carry Bella over to her bed where I hastily grabbed the comforter and wrapped her up in it.

Backing away from the bed, I had started to stutter. "Bells...I...I…God, I'm…I didn't mean…" I ran a shaky hand through my hair as I continued to back away. "I'm sorry," I had finally whispered.

Blinking, she had suddenly shot up and reached out to me. "No! Jacob, don't! Don't you dare tell me you're sorry! I wanted this! I wanted you!"

I had stopped moving, but shook my head, still not believing she would've wanted what my wolf had. Maybe she had sensed the difference in me, maybe she knew that I hadn't been myself when that had happened because she was giving me a gentle smile.

Rising to her knees on the bed, she had held out her hand to me and spoke in a soothing voice, as if she were trying to calm a skittish animal. "Jake, come here. Please? Stay the night with me? Let me make love to you. I promise, there's nothing you can do to me tonight that I'll ever regret."

When I had still hesitated, she dropped the comforter, but I refused to let my eyes leave hers. "Jacob, I need you to hear me. What I'm saying, you have to know that I mean it all." She had paused for a moment before giving me a full smile, one that shone in her eyes along with something else. It was that something else that had fallen from her lips next.

"I'm in love with you, Jacob Black. I always have been and I always will be. So stay. Stay with me and let me love you forever."

That time it had worked. That time I had finally lifted my hand and tangled my fingers with hers, letting her pull me into the bed with her. The rest of that night, the wolf inside of me had remained hidden as the boy inside of me finally had the chance to become one with the girl he loved.

The memories of the rest of that night, were still running through my mind as I felt a soft hand touch my shoulder. Blinking away the images, I looked up into the smiling face of my wife, Bella Marie Black.

She wore a peach, knee-length, satin dress which made her naturally pale skin seem to glow from within. Her long hair was swept up in a relaxed bun with tendrils framing her face. Even with strands of white glimmering through her hair and the laugh lines around her eyes and mouth, she still took my breath away.

"You okay, Jake?" she asked, a concerned look shining from her eyes.

I took her hand and pulled her down next to me as I motioned to the little hutch in front of me. "Just remembering our past, is all." I replied.

She grinned as she stared at the pictures our kids had added to the memory hutch, along with some of their favorite toys and other trinkets. There were a few pictures of our wedding and of Bella's pregnancies. There were even a few candid pictures of the two of us looking like we were so wrapped up in our love for each other, whether I was in wolf form or not.

Once I had become Alpha, I had managed to convince the council that we shouldn't keep the secret of what we were from our families. My children had grown up knowing of their heritage and what I had once been. Only the twins had ever seen my wolf though they were still very young when I had stopped phasing.

Bella sighed next to me. "Yeah, we've had a great life together, haven't we?"

I nodded. "Mm hm." I reached up to run the back of my fingers over the skin of her cheek. "And all because you asked me to…"

"Stay," she finished with a smile, clearly remembering that night just like I had. When I returned her smile, she continued. "Stay, Jacob. Please stay with me forever."

"Forever," I whispered before claiming her lips with mine.

It was only our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, but we both knew we would have more memories to add to our forever from this night forward. Memories of our life together…and all because I had stayed.

**Author's Note: Due to time and RL (boo!) I didn't get to add everything I'd wanted. All those memories in EYJ's banner were just glimpsed at in this OS, so I hope to get around to doing a second part to this some day.**

**Thanks again to JB for choosing me (blushes) and EYJ for creating such an inspiring banner! Jacob hugs to you both!**


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